Neversink to replace baseball diamonds destroyed by storm

GRAHAMSVILLE — Neversink has bought land to replace the baseball diamonds destroyed by Hurricane Irene in 2011.

Supervisor Mark McCarthy said the town on July 8 closed on roughly 17 acres on Route 42 across from the intersection with Big Hollow Road.

The land purchase came by an agreement with New York City's Department of Environmental Protection. The city had a contract to buy 88 acres as part of a program to protect the land around the reservoirs. It agreed to change its agreement with the property owner to allow the land to be subdivided, so that Neversink could purchase the land for the fields.

The land, which includes a house, cost $330,000. McCarthy said the house will be torn down. The town will build four baseball diamonds, a concession area and bathrooms.

“This will be a town park,” McCarthy said. “Little League will lease it for the season. After that, it will be used by the general public.”

For many years, Neversink leased four baseball diamonds on Route 55A from the DEP.

All but one of the fields were destroyed when Hurricane Irene swelled the Rondout Creek, which runs alongside the fields.

The creek ran so high and fast that it eroded its banks and took one of the fields with it. Fences were knocked down, and dugouts and scorekeeper booths were washed away.

“The town has looked far and wide for a place to build new ball fields, but there were practically no options available to us,” McCarthy said. “New York City could not have been more accommodating when we approached them with this idea. Because of our partnership with DEP, more than 300 young people from Neversink will now have a place to play baseball and softball.”

McCarthy said the town plans to finance the land purchase with a five-year bond. This should have a marginal impact on taxes.

He said the town qualifies for $520,000 in FEMA money to build the baseball fields, none of which could be used to buy land.